Greek Chicken Pearl Couscous (Printable)

A comforting bowl with tender chicken, pearl couscous, lemon zest, and creamy feta crumble.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken & Broth

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (14 oz)
02 - 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
03 - 1 bay leaf

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

04 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

→ Soup Base

09 - 3/4 cup pearl couscous
10 - Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

14 - 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
16 - Lemon wedges, for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and add bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add chicken breasts to the pot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through.
05 - Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot. Shred or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
06 - Return shredded chicken to pot. Stir in pearl couscous, oregano, lemon zest, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until couscous is tender.
07 - Add lemon juice and season with salt to taste.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with crumbled feta and fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour and tastes like you've been tending it all day.
  • The lemon and feta work like magic together, brightening every spoonful without any heaviness.
  • One pot means less cleanup and more time actually enjoying the meal.
02 -
  • Don't overcook the chicken or it becomes stringy and tough; pulling it out at 12 minutes and checking it saves the whole soup.
  • The lemon juice must go in at the end after heat is off, or it loses that fresh, zesty quality that makes this soup sing.
03 -
  • Taste and season at the very end, never the beginning—the broth will reduce slightly and flavors will concentrate as the soup simmers, so early salting can lead to oversalted soup.
  • If you want the feta to stay creamy and almost melted, crumble it fresh and add it just before serving while the soup is still very hot, so it softens into pockets of richness throughout each bowl.
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